![](images/test/stone0.jpg)
![](images/test/amethist.jpg)
Amethyst is one of the most precious and valuable stones belonging to the quartz group of minerals, with exception to rare blue-green gem silica.
It is recognized as the official birthstone for the month of February. Amethyst belongs to the macrocrystalline branch of quartz and owes its violet/purple color to iron and aluminum impurities.
Without such coloring agents, amethyst would simply be transparent, ordinary colorless quartz. Like other varieties of macrocrystalline quartz, amethyst has transparent to translucent clarity and a vitreous luster.
![](images/test/diamond.jpg)
Diamond is the hardest known mineral to man, formed by the elemental forces of heat and pressure up to 50 miles below the earth, more than three billion years ago. This universally adored precious stone is 140 times harder than sapphire and ruby, which explains why it is symbolic the world over for everlasting love.
The' brilliance' and 'fire' within a diamond is caused by its high refractive index - the highest of any naturally occurring gemstone.
![](images/test/emerald.jpg)
The name emerald comes from the ancient Greek for 'green' and the first known emerald mines date back to Egypt in 330BC. Cleopatra was known to have a passion for emerald, using it in many of her royal adornments.
Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl, and gets its green colour from traces of chromium and vanadium. Its colour ranges from yellow-green to blue-green and only gems that are medium to dark in tone are considered emerald.
Emerald is a dramatic stone that epitomises glamour.
![](images/test/garnet.jpg)
Mandarin garnet is also called spessartite, from the city Spessart in Bavaria where it had originally been found.
The name garnet comes from the Latin «granatus», meaning «seed like» and was held to symbolize faith, constancy and truth.
Garnet was also supposed to have strong curative powers. In powder, it was used as poultice to relieve fever.
![](images/test/peridot.jpg)
Peridot is a well-known and ancient gemstone, with jewelry pieces dating all the way back to the Pharaohs in Egypt.
The gem variety of the mineral Olivine, it makes a lovely light green to olive-green gemstone. The intensity of color depends on the amount of iron present in a Peridot's chemical structure; the more iron it contains the deeper green it will be.
The most desirable color of Peridot is deep olive-green with a slight yellowish tint. Deeper olive-green tones tend to be more valuable than lighter colored greens and yellowish-greens.
![](images/test/ruby.jpg)
The name ruby comes from the Latin word ruber, meaning 'red'. Medieval Europeans wore rubies to guarantee health, wealth, wisdom, and success in love.
This beautiful stone belongs to the corundum family of aluminium oxides, and is effectively a red sapphire, since both stones are identical in all properties except for colour.
Ruby is a striking stone like no other, and elevates any outfit.
![](images/test/sapphire.jpg)
Whilst typically associated with the color blue, sapphires can also naturally occur in a wide variety of colors such as blue, yellow, purple, orange, green colors - which are also called "fancy sapphires". "Parti sapphires" are those sapphires which show two or more colors in a single stone.
Sapphire is the most precious and valuable blue gemstone. It is a very desirable gemstone due to its excellent color, hardness, durability, and luster.
![](images/test/tanzanite.jpg)
Tanzanite is the blue to violet gem variety of the mineral Zoisite. Since its relatively recent discovery in 1967, it has become a mainstream and popular gemstone, and is used extensively in jewelry.
To date, Tanzanite is found only in the Arusha region of the African country of Tanzania, and it was named after its country of origin.
The main appeal of Tanzanite is its lovely color. Its color ranges from pure blue to purplish-blue.